A Significant Move in Indiana

Relocating to a new facility gave Indiana University Document Services a great opportunity to improve its workflow, resulting in a more efficient, more productive operation.

Standing inside Indiana University Document Services’ new 15,000- square-foot facility are Neil Hugentober (left), assistant director, and Joe Goss, director of both Document Services and Mail Services. The in-plant relocated in June, after 41 years in its previous facility.

When a university realizes its in-plant is sitting on prime real estate, that news often leads to a few restless nights for the manager of that shop. That's what happened at Indiana University, when the city of Bloomington decided to develop a technology park on the west side of town, in an area where IU Document Services had been situated for 41 years. "It was very valuable property," remarks Director Joe Goss. But did Goss worry that IU would shutter his operation rather than finance its relocation?

"There was never any discussion—ever—of not moving us," he says.

That's because Goss had been doing his homework over the years: reporting the in-plant's savings, and demonstrating the value it brings to IU. An evaluation a few years ago gave Document Services high marks. So when the decision was made to sell the old facility to the city, the conversation turned immediately to finding a new space for the 30-employee printing operation.

In the end, the university paid about $750,000 to renovate a warehouse on the other side of town, adding heating, air conditioning and humidity controls, as well as more electrical access. Then in June, over a two-and-a-half week period, the in-plant moved its equipment into the new plant, about two miles away.

"It was about as seamless a transition as you could imagine," observes Goss. Part of the reason it went so smoothly was that the in-plant elected to move equipment a little at a time.

"I wanted to stay in business throughout the move, so we moved part of the offset presses, and then we waited till they were up and running before we moved the rest," he notes. The shop did the same for its digital printing and bindery equipment.

Several different movers were used. Vendors like Kodak, Konica Minolta and Ricoh took charge of the equipment they service, and another company was hired to transport the larger equipment, like the shop's two-color, 28˝ Komori press. Office furniture was transported by yet another mover.

Bob has served as editor of In-plant Graphics since October of 1994. Prior to that he served for three years as managing editor of Printing Impressions, a commercial printing publication. Mr. Neubauer is very active in the U.S. in-plant industry. He attends all the major in-plant conferences and has visited more than 130 in-plant operations around the world. He has given presentations to numerous in-plant groups in the U.S., Canada and Australia, including the Association of College and University Printers and the In-plant Printing and Mailing Association. He also coordinates the annual In-Print contest, cosponsored by IPMA and In-plant Graphics.